My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 103 Turmoil
Changrui Wharf on the banks of the Jinshui River.

The magnificent ship docked steadily at the pier, like a peninsula extending from the riverbank.

Inside the Jinghong Hall on the top floor of the pavilion.

Jin Wuduan listened to his subordinate's report with a grim expression.

"Master Zhuo and his entourage, more than ten people in total, have all disappeared."

"The ship we were on was more than half destroyed, and we stopped at the riverbank halfway through the journey."

"The people on board scattered and their whereabouts are unknown."

Jin Wuduan slammed his fist on the table: "How dare you lay a hand on the leader of my Jinghong Gang!"

"Pass down the order: search along the river. You must find Master Zhuo. He must be found alive or dead."

"Also, inform Li Jun. This happened in his jurisdiction. If he doesn't give me an explanation, he can forget about being the head of the Lijiang Hall!"

"Yes!" The subordinate left trembling. He had never seen his gang leader so furious.

After everyone had left, Zuo Sheng quickly comforted him, "Master, calm down."

"Those who dare to attack us must be someone of extraordinary background."

"For example, the Zhuyi Pavilion, or sincerity..."

Zuo Sheng said with deep concern: "We must be prepared to be fully impacted by it."

They have a deep grudge against the Zhu Yi Pavilion.

The contradiction between sincerity and honesty is equally enormous.

Jin Wuduan looked at Zuo Sheng with a complicated expression.

“Sheng’er, I really want to retire and enjoy my old age. You don’t have to go to such lengths for me.”

Zuo Sheng was completely bewildered.

"What did I do?"

Jin Wuduan's face showed a look of satisfaction: "That's right, you didn't do anything."

"If anyone asks, just say you're going to die, that the Zhu Yi Pavilion provoked you, that it was a sincere act of revenge."

"This has nothing to do with you."

"Did you understand?" Jin Wuduan earnestly reminded him.

Zuo Sheng: "..."

Oh no, another misunderstanding!
"I've been in seclusion practicing my martial arts these past few days, and I haven't had time to bother Master Zhuo at all," Zuo Sheng explained earnestly.

Jin Wuduan's expression changed: "Keep your voice down! The walls have ears!"

He listened intently for a moment, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he found no one within ten meters. A smile involuntarily appeared on his face: "Yes, that's the attitude. You didn't do anything, understand?"

Zuo Sheng felt wronged and wanted to jump into the river.

This is totally none of my business!

"Yes, yes, that wronged expression is spot on! Keep it up!"

Zuo Sheng: "..."

……

December 15th, 640th year of the Great Liang Dynasty.

As the weather turned cooler, the cold air from the north finally affected Nanyang Prefecture, but unfortunately the cold was only limited.

Chen Mu, dressed in a single layer of clothing, sat on a rocking chair under the eaves, holding a wooden cup filled with milk tea in both hands, enjoying the sunset.

His breathing varied rapidly in depth, maintaining a specific rhythm. The muscles under his clothes also twitched intermittently with each breath.

A few days ago, the White Ape Form Refinement Technique successfully completed its Marrow Transformation.

Unsurprisingly, the improvement in physical fitness was negligible.

Only the length of the arms increased slightly.

“During the Soul Nourishing stage, the cultivation speed actually returns to normal.” Chen Mu said thoughtfully.

He had assumed that cultivating the spirit would be as fast as practicing physical form.

However, the actual speed of soul cultivation is slightly faster than that of the Red Falcon and the Blue-Eyed Golden Ape Body Refinement Techniques, but it is still limited.

"Is it because you lack the courage to cover everything?"

"Perhaps the White Ape Form Refinement Technique can cultivate even greater willpower? Hehe." Chen Mu shrugged, thinking casually.

As time passed and the weather grew colder, Chen Mu maintained a regular daily routine.

I ponder delicious food during mealtimes, spend the rest of my time practicing skill levels, and when I'm tired, I relax in a recliner, drinking tea and daydreaming.

In my spare time, I'll also wander around the north and south cities a few times, looking for some good food and asking around for news.

They lived a leisurely and comfortable life.

……

There is a large square outside the archway at the North Gate of Nanshi.

"Who are those dozen or so people?" Chen Mu squeezed through the crowd, curiously looking at the prisoners being carried onto the square stone platform. "Fierce bandits."

"They looted more than ten shops in one night and killed countless people."

"When they were fleeing along the Luo River, they were discovered and captured by the heroes of the Jinghong Gang."

"To make a move in Nanyang City? Those are no ordinary bandits," Chen Mu exclaimed.

The world was in chaos, and all sorts of monsters and demons emerged.

"Who says otherwise? They're incredibly audacious, daring to touch the Jinghong Gang's assets. Do you think the Jinghong Gang will let them get away with this?"

"The reason we didn't cut off their heads was only because of Lord Shangguan's influence."

Chen Mu couldn't help but click his tongue and shake his head.

He lived in Nanyang Prefecture for a year and knew of the reputation of the Jinghong Gang.

These people actually dared to rob the Jinghong Gang's shops; they're really reckless.

"I heard they are enemies of Master Zhuo of Tianqi Hall."

"Since Master Zhuo is gone, these people saw a chance for revenge and started killing and robbing."

"I heard that Master Zhuo has two sons who were checking the accounts in the shop when they were run into this group of people."

"That was terrible."

Chen Mu's heart skipped a beat.

With Zhuo Yinghai's death, the Zhuo family also suffered misfortune.

That old man was ruthless and cruel, preferring to kill the innocent rather than let the guilty go free. It was inevitable that he would face retribution after his death.

"This is the third batch already, isn't it? Tsk tsk..."

"The Zhuo family has really hit a snag. They've lost both their people and their money. If it weren't for the Jinghong Gang's help in capturing the culprit, things would have been truly dire."

Chen Mu couldn't help but sigh.

No matter how large a family's wealth or how great a reputation, everything vanishes upon death. And one's children and grandchildren will suffer as a result.

"Staying alive is the most important thing," Chen Mu thought, deeply inspired.

Chen Mu turned and walked towards Chunfeng Tower.

It's been so long since I've seen Yu Tao's dance; I miss her.

……

Around seven or eight o'clock at night, as the city lights begin to twinkle, the nightlife in Nanyang Prefecture is in full swing.

Chen Mu, having already eaten and drunk his fill, strolled home against the bustling crowds of Nanshi.

Passing by the North Gate Square, I could vaguely see dark bloodstains on the execution platform and couldn't help but shake my head.

Just as I was about to leave, I suddenly paused, remembering the discussions among the crowd during the day.

"Where did so many crazy bandits come from? They disregard the Nanyang government and are not afraid of the Jinghong Gang, so they openly target the Zhuo family."

"Hmm... I hope there's nothing wrong here?"

A cool breeze blew, and Chen Mu couldn't help but shiver.

"It seems someone has their eye on Zhuo Yinghai's vast fortune..."

"The world is a dangerous place!"

Chen Mu dared not think any further and hurried home.

……

The death of Zhuo Yinghai has indeed caused a stir.

The Zhuo family has been robbed repeatedly.

Finally, it is said that the Jinghong Gang stepped in and sent people to protect them, which made those ruthless bandits hesitate and stop.

Is there any inside story? Chen Mu said this was too much for him to handle, and he didn't dare to inquire any further.

This storm came quickly and went quickly.

It seems that neither the Jinghong Gang nor the Nanyang government wanted to escalate the situation.

They openly proclaim their intention to avenge Zhuo Yinghai and capture the culprit. However, only the Jinghong Gang secretly gathers information.

They didn't conduct a large-scale search like last time. And things quickly went quiet.

"The scions of noble families are still precious," Chen Mu remarked with a chuckle.

"A smaller search is better." He'll be safer.

The small courtyard was originally registered under Chen Jia's name, but no one ever checked it.

Two groups of thieves did visit the place.

One of them was paralyzed by a fine needle on the wall before he even entered the courtyard.

The other one did manage to climb in, but the yard had already been ransacked by the Five Ghosts Bag, and in the end he only managed to take a palm-sized grass carp from the pond.

(End of this chapter)